Pearson Congratulates Boston's Students on Outperforming Peers on National Assessment of Educational Progress Exam

Share Article

Fourth and Eighth Graders Score in Top Five on "The Nation's Report Card"

Boston, MA (PRWEB)December 17, 2009

The education, technology and services company Pearson today congratulated Boston Public Schools (BPS) and its students on their performance on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card."

Boston's fourth- and eighth-grade students, who learn with Pearson's Investigations in Number, Data and Space and Connected Math 2 programs, outperformed their urban peers in mathematics, according to 2009 NAEP results.

Students in Boston gained more points than the national average for all public schools, including suburban schools. Boston's eighth-grade students scored an average of 279 points out of 500 possible points, right behind Austin, Charlotte and San Diego. With a score of 236 points, Boston's fourth graders tied Houston, Miami-Dade and San Diego students and were topped only by students in Charlotte, Austin and New York City.

"Boston Public Schools continue to lead the nation in educating urban children, ensuring they are college and career ready," said Pearson's senior vice president for Mathematics Mike Evans. "Boston's teachers and principals are committed to preparing their 21st century students for the jobs of the future, and Pearson is dedicated to partnering with them to realize this goal in classrooms across the city each day."

In a statement released Monday, Boston Schools' Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said that the district's citywide adoption of standards-based instruction from the education company Pearson, which stresses mathematical reasoning and skill-building, was a key ingredient in Boston's high performance. She also noted that extensive teacher training has helped ensure consistent approach and implementation throughout Boston's elementary and middle schools.

With the research-based Investigations and CMP2, Boston's educators can differentiate learning based on each student's needs and build critical 21st century skills, like communication and collaboration.

"Pearson offers its congratulations to Boston Public Schools for this great accomplishment and applauds the district's continued success in preparing its students for today's and tomorrow's global economy," added Evans.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education services, technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information about Pearson, go to http://www.pearsoned.com.